


A debt to the Planet

by Cyberwolf0_replicant



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:01:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25034365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyberwolf0_replicant/pseuds/Cyberwolf0_replicant
Summary: Red leaves her homeland to become a journalist in Midgar. But the events which will then shake the planet will change her destiny. Becoming a new recruit of the Turks is the last thing she would have thought of. Especially when it comes to work for Rufus Shinra, whom she considers an enemy for various reasons.
Relationships: Rufus Shinra/Original Character(s), Rufus Shinra/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	1. The beginning of a bad day

In the sweltering heat of this summer day, Red dragged its feet figuratively as well as literally. She was drenched in sweat under her suit jacket. What an idea to wear this in such weather ... She slightly loosened her tie knot and hurried on to reduce the distance which separated her from her two new colleagues, who were walking briskly without apparent effort.

One of them finally noticed that she was lagging behind as he turned to her. It was a big red-haired asparagus with big glasses on his head. His name, if Red remembered it, was Reno. He spoke to her with a sly smile:

“Another hour of walking and we'll be there. Come on, newbie, aren't you going to kick the bucket at your first week with us? ”

He then spoke to his acolyte, a tall bald man with sunglasses that Red suspected were screwed to his face because he had never taken them off until then. He was Rude.

"What went through the head of the boss? Why do we have trouble with missions for newbies, and why do we have to deal with new fragile guys who crack after three days? She’s the fourth recruit this month ... what exactly are his criteria? ”

Rude suddenly stopped walking, replaced his dark glasses on his nose even if they had not moved an inch in the movement, then began to speak in a deep and monotonous voice:

"First: do not put the orders and decisions of the boss in question. Second: we need staff. "

Reno shrugged, unconvinced by the words of his colleague.

"Hey, I never said you should disobey the boss, don't be so offended, old man. It's just that it worries me a little. After all he's been through, he may not be clear-headed. He failed to take the Shinra tower on his face, he has been kidnapped by a madman, has been infected by Geostigma ... "Enumerated Reno, counting on his fingers.

Rude gave a sort of growl of disapproval.

"He is strong."

Reno threw up his arms in dismay at the wall he had in front of him.

"You never doubt anything, do you?"

"If you doubt, just quit." Answered Rude, imperturbable.

There followed a face to face, or rather a monologue by Reno, who struggled to make himself understood.

Red sighed and looked towards the source of their trouble: the pickup truck supposed to be used to bring back material from Kalm to Edge, the city under construction east of what was left of Midgar after the fall of Meteor.They had stupidly punctured, so they found themselves like idiots by the side of the road. It was therefore necessary to reach Kalm on foot under 30 degrees, collect the equipment, rent a van and return to Edge to drop everything off. A mission supposed to be simple, but which did not go as planned. While waiting for the two men to finish debating, or rather when Reno had enough of explaining himself in the void, Red looked around and went to sit in the shade of a rock large enough for the sun to not hit her on the head.

"How did I get to work with such wackos ...?" Said Red to herself, sighing.

At this rate, the equipment would not be delivered on time, and the dragon who served as their boss would ask for explanations. Red did not really want this to happen, especially if the result was to see her pay taken away and return empty-handed to her studio without having enough to fill her fridge. Or worse, get fired. Working for what was left of the Shinra was already an ordeal in itself, better not to add irony to the situation. If her parents knew she had just been hired by the Turks, they would likely have a heart attack. What was the point of thinking about it now, after all? She had left her homeland, it was already an exile. How long has it been…

“Hey, are you going to hang around for a long time? Let's go!" Reno called out before resuming the walk.

Red sighed again, then left the shadow of the rock for the furnace of the sun.

"I'm fine, I'm coming. It wasn't me making a speech ... "she grumbled, wiping her forehead with her sleeve.

The trio thus continued walking toward Kalm. Red had plenty of time to think back over how far she had come from her hometown to that dirty furnace day where nothing was going as planned.


	2. Past : On the way to Midgar

Red was from Wutai. A former prosperous region in the west of the world, it had paid dearly for the price of a long war against the Shinra. It had become a lost place ever since. Only tourists had the leisure to come and get lost there. What had led Red to work for those who had put her country in that state of oblivion? A chain of circumstances? destiny? Call it what you want.

Red wanted to be a journalist. And it was not at Wutai that she was going to be able to publish interesting articles. It was sad to say, but it was the truth. Her parents ran a small store that sold trinkets and all kinds of pottery to tourists. Even if she loved them very much, she didn't have the heart to pick up the torch. When she had the courage to announce her departure for Midgar, her parents had disapproved. If there was one thing we learned at Wutai, it was not to carry the Shinra in his heart. Midgar and, well ... it was the heart of Shinra. But Red didn't care about the Shinra. She just wanted to realize her dream, and it was the best place to start, or so she thought. Her parents couldn't hold her back. They had cried a lot. For them, if everyone decided to leave the Wutai, the Shinra would have won more than the war. And the country would eventually disappear into oblivion. Red understood their point of view. She had grown up in fear of Shinra like all children of her age. But she had to live her own way, whether it was the right choice or not. No matter how much she explained, it wasn't because she was going to Midgar that she had given up on hating Shinra, but that the reality was that it was the only place she thought she had a future for.

On the day of her departure, her parents had said goodbye to her on the doorstep of the family home. Her mother had made her a small jade talisman mounted on a pendant with a chain. It had never left her neck since. Superstitions had a hard life, and Red respected them. Leviathan was their protector. Thus her pendant representing the sea serpent would protect her. She would see later that it would not be so and her faith would be deeply shaken. But she never had the heart to part with her talisman so far.

So she left the Wutai with the supply boat that passed once a month. Her backpack full of the basics and the savings she had raised by helping her parents run the store. She hoped it was enough to last a while. She was transported from Wutai to the seaside resort of Costa Del Sol, where she stayed one night before taking the boat to Junon. Upon arriving in the port city, Red was struck by the contrast between the city built by the Shinra and the small town of former fishermen below. The Shinra crushed everything in its path, you had to believe. Then she wondered what Midgar was like. There were so many rumors about the “Mako City”.

She stayed two days in Juno, where she asked how to get to Midgar. She should take a car to the Mithril Mine. Once on the other side she had to cross swamps where, what was said, there lived a giant snake named Midgar Zolom. All those interviewed agreed on two things: to get to Midgar, she had to be armed and would have to try to get a chocobo in a relay to cross the swamps. But where to get a weapon? Nothing too difficult, there were several gun stores in town. She unearthed a revolver there with a box of 25 bullets. With what she had left, it was the only thing she could buy without finishing her savings. She had to hold on to Midgar, and even a little more. 

Once equipped and ready, she left Junon without a car because she was lacking resources. After a day of walking, she stopped at Fort Condor, where she could eat and sleep at night for a handful of gil. She inquired about the rental of chocobos. Luckily, there was one left at the run. Once she has crossed the marsh, she should drop it off at the chocobo farm.

Once the Mithril Mine crossed with a few obstacles (small monsters that had panicked the rental chocobo to the point that it had almost escaped), she, the chocobo and the last 6 bullets that she had left hurried to go away to cross the marshes. The Zolom didn't show up, at least Red believed it. If she had turned around during the trip, she could have seen a threatening shadow trying to catch the chocobo…

So she put the chocobo at the farm, but could not rent another to finish the journey to Midgar. She had to keep money on her. She stayed at the farm overnight and got up early in the morning to complete her journey to her destination.

Motivated to be at the last part of her journey, Red had walked briskly for the first two hours, before seeing in the distance a dark mass that seemed, even at this distance, to be gigantic. There was no doubt about its nature: it was Midgar.

The more she advanced, the more precisely the silhouette of the giant city took shape. It was like the city was floating in the air. There was a kind of huge circular plaque, and in the center, an imposing building. Below this structure, Red could not make out exactly what was there because of some sort of fog. Surely there was a huge structure to hold so much weight.

When she finally arrived, Red dropped to the ground. Sitting on the floor, she looked up and felt overwhelmed as much by the fatigue as by the huge metallic structure that proudly sat above her head. She could no longer make out the large plaque. The sky and the sun were completely obscured. She hadn't entered yet until she felt suffocated.

With her heart swollen again with hope of having succeeded in traveling to where she thought she was realizing her dreams, Red hid from her mind the first impression that the Mako City had given her. After all, the young woman was not used to seeing something so big. The Wutai was completely different, she should get used to it. So she headed for the big double door that would finally lead her to her destination.

What she didn't yet know at the time was that Midgar was far from the place she had imagined. The mirage of the city where everything is possible would quickly fade and give way to disillusionment and hardship. Without forgetting the events that would befall the planet, and which would later lead her to work for the enemy of her homeland.


	3. Past : Welcome to the slums

Red had passed the gate that allowed entry into Midgar. She thought she would find a lively and modern city right away. But what she found instead was the town under the plate, called by all in Midgar “the slums”. A large wooden sign indicated with black paint “Sector 5”. People came and went in total indifference. Red fell with her ass on the floor, but figuratively this time. They were ruins here. There was debris everywhere, like the place was some ... dump. Nobody seemed to mind though. Some kids even had fun climbing on piles of sheet metal, risking injury. Red looked up as if to find an answer to this reality. The answer was there, before her eyes. Which covered the sky and prevented the sun from passing through. The real Midgar was up there. But how could what was above ignore what was below? Red had trouble to fully understand. She was a stranger here. Lost, Red began to walk on the dusty ground, without daring to ask her way to anyone. She didn't want to get noticed, or say something inappropriate that would get her in trouble. Hanging around and listening might help her learn something that would help her get to Midgar.

She was already there, but she found it hard to realize that such a place could exist. Was this “sector 5” the only one to be like this, or was it the same elsewhere? Head down, Red stepped further into the maze of debris and small houses made of everything around the area. People here, how could they live this way?

After a good twenty minutes of walking, Red, too crushed by the remorse to have left the Wutai, lost in the middle of a field of debris, well below the Midgar that she imagined, stopped in front a building that was not made of crumpled sheet metal or wooden planks nailed together. It was a stone building with a half-collapsed roof. A heavy wooden door was ajar. Tall glass windows, colored, broken in places, dotted the gray stone. Red climbed the few concrete steps that led to the door. She was going to put her head inside but changed her mind. The people who lived in this house would surely not appreciate someone breaking into their house. Then she sat on the steps, and tightened tightly the miniature jade leviathan which hung at the end of its chain, as if to find courage.

It was then that Red met one of the people who would help her reach the Midgar above. Even in the present, she never knew if it was a grace from the protective god of her nation that she had invoked on the steps, or just luck.

"It doesn't seem to be doing well." Said a voice that startled Red, who hastened to hide her amulet under the collar of her jacket.

Better to make sure nobody knew where she came from. Especially here.

A young woman stood before her, a kind smile on her face.

“You're not from here, are you? Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. ” She apologized.

“I just arrived ... in town. I'm lost." Red confessed, a little ashamed.

The girl in pink placed a basket on the floor, which contained flowers. However, Red hadn't seen it anywhere here. She sat next to her and looked up at the large plate above.

"Is that where you want to go?" She asked, pointing to the huge structure.

"Uh, yes but, how do you know?"

“Because all the people who come here want to reach the upper city. No one wants to live in the slums! ” The young woman with the big green eyes exclaimed with a laugh, before saying more seriously: "But few people succeed."

“Is it so hard to get up there? And why… ”Red started before pausing.

Her question was why there were the slums and the upper town. But the answer presented itself. It was like what she saw in Junon, with the city where the Shinra was present, and the old fishing village. It was much more striking here. The Shinra above, and the others below.

“Oh, some do. You have to know how to talk to the right people. ” Said the young woman with the pink ribbon.

“Who could help me get up there?” Asked Red.

"I do not know. But maybe someone at the sector 5 market could tell you. You hear all kinds of rumors and information if you listen around. ” Explained the young woman in the pink dress.

"How do we get there?"

The young woman thought, then got up to pick up her basket of flowers.

"I'll take you there! It's not very far from here. ”

"Ah, thank you…"

A little surprised that someone was helping her here, Red also got up and followed the stranger, who was walking fast. Indeed, the market was not far away, maybe they had walked ten minutes at most.

"It's here. I hope you’ll find a way to get up there! ” Said the flower girl cheerfully.

"Thank you for the help. I think I would have been lost for a long time without your help. ” Sincerely thanked her Red.

She was going to ask for her name when three kids appeared out of nowhere to turn around the girl in pink. The latter greeted children and knelt on the floor to allow the children to choose the flower they wanted. Red smiled in spite of herself, then started looking for information in the slum market.

  
  


Red had patiently walked around the small square filled with small shops set up with the material at hand. There was everything here. Odds and ends, weapons, accessories, and even materias. Red had approached the stand where the spheres of different colors were shining, intrigued. It was the first time she had seen it up close.

Time passed and Red lost some courage. She noticed a small shop where food and drink were served. She approached and sat down on one of the stools available at the counter. She ordered a soda and a snack for a handful of gils, then, when served, stared at her plate wondering if the young woman with flowers had lied to her.

After her meal was over, she was about to leave to find a place to sleep when two guys sitting next to her started chatting. She ordered a drink again and discreetly listened to guy number 1 and guy number 2, who, because of the alcohol, spoke louder than they probably thought.

“But, I'm not making fun of you! I'm telling you you won't find a better counterfeiter than the person I was told about! ”

"You talk but you don't even know who it is!"

"No, but I have heard that you can, for a certain sum, have beautiful new papers in the slums of sector 7, and which pass the scanners of trains without problems. Convenient to go unnoticed from slums to the city above. ”

“that's a likely story! Everyone knows that for false papers, you have to go see this guy there, at the Wall Market… ”

"You're late on the news of the slums old man! The militia raided two weeks ago! They took him on, I tell you! I was there! If you want my opinion, they're going to throw him in Corel prison to languish there forever! In my opinion, all the people to whom he had made false papers must have been caught since… ”

"Well shit then."

"That, if you ask me, it's again a dirty trick from that snoop of Don!"

“Psssst, speak less loud! You forget that this guy surely has ears as long as his arm! What if one of these minions hears you? Well you will find yourself like an idiot to empty your blood in a gutter! ”

"I don't give a damn! There are rumors circulating about it at Wall Market. They say he got along with the Shinra! ”

“An informant? Ah, stop telling bullshit and finish your beer instead… ”

After that, Red couldn't hear anything interesting about the mysterious forger from the slums in sector 7. But how to get there? She inquired of the manager of the small shop. He told her to get out of the market and continue to a playground, then continue straight past the double door. And that if she wanted to avoid trouble, it was better not to take a right and avoid the Wall Market. Red did not ask a question about it, thanked the manager, paid for her last drink, then decided to go to the slums in sector 7 to find the counterfeiter. And if she couldn't find him, she hoped to find a place to sleep there before resuming her research the next day.

  
  



	4. Past : The counterfeiter

Finding sector 7 by following the directions she had been given was not difficult. The real problem was how to contact the counterfeiter. Red had decided to drop it for the day. She rented a room in a two-story concrete building that held together with metal props. It was not reassuring, but at least she would have a roof over her head for the night. In the small bedroom, Red collapsed on the bed to empty her mind, without success. So much road traveled from the Wutai ... to get stuck under the plate, in the slums. However, Turning around was not an option for several reasons. One, she was almost out of money. Two, she would be too ashamed to return on a failure and finally take over her parents' shop. She had to find the counterfeiter at all costs.

An idea came to her. She sat down and then pulled out a notebook and a pen from her jacket. She tore off a page from her notebook then scribbled the following words:  _ Looking for the Counterfeiter, contact me asap. Hotel sector 7.  _ Then she left her little windowless room to go outside. Where could she put that note? She had to find a place where there were people passing by.

She found the perfect place to pin her note after a few minutes of walking. There were comings and goings in front of a building which, from the outside, seemed a little less dilapidated than the rest of the houses scattered around. A large wooden panel hung on the wall above the entrance. Two words were visible despite the painting had passed a little: Seventh Heaven. Garlands adorned with light bulbs radiating a faint yellowish glow hung on both sides of the sign. Some bulbs were burnt out. Red could hear music inside. Outside, a small group of people were smoking quietly. Red hesitated for a moment, not really knowing where it was really, especially with a name like that, then took advantage of entering with another person. 

Inside, nothing strange. It was a classic bar but rather well laid out, especially in such a place. The wooden counter was accompanied by green stools, most of which were occupied by customers. There were also two large tables in the lively room, constructed of reclaimed but solid wood, with stools and backless wooden chairs around them. Behind the counter was a multitude of bottles of all colors, mostly filled with alcohol. To the right of the bottle shelves, there was a dented and rusty fridge in places but which seemed to work normally. In addition to drinking, you could surely have a small snack here, because above the fridge was a shelf with dishes. In the upper left corner of the counter there was a TV screen, but it was not broadcasting anything. On the other side of the room, to the right of the entrance, was a jukebox and a dart board. A few decorative neon lights were flashing on the wall. The place was busy at the time, but Red managed to sneak up to a stool at the counter. She did not intend to consume, for lack of gil in her pocket which she preferred to keep for shelter and food. Anyway, if she wanted to drink something, she should have waited because there was no waiter at the counter. She glanced around the room and saw from the back a woman with very long hair with a tray in her hand, who was reprimanding a customer who refused to pay because “his beer was too hot”. Red put down her note, then slipped in between a couple who were talking a little loud, probably because of the alcohol, and got out of the bar as fast as she entered. She returned to her hotel room, took off her jacket, then dropped on the mattress to fall asleep a few moments later.

The sound of someone knocking on the door woke up Red, who almost fell from the bed. She yawned, then stood up, trying to put her hair in place as best she could. She opened the door, rubbing her eyes.

The little old man who managed the hotel nodded to her, then handed her a folded paper.

"Excuse me for bothering you so soon, but I was asked to hand this over to you, saying it was urgent."

"Ah ... well, thank you ..." Said Red, taking the paper.

She watched the little old man walk away and down the stairs, then closed the door behind her to read the paper in the dim light of the globe on the ceiling.

_ Seventh Heaven, before opening, 5 a.m. _

Red reread it several times before looking at her watch. It was 4:30 a.m. Her plan, however risky, had paid off, and the counterfeiter had heard that she was looking for him on business. She refreshed herself at the small sink available in the corner of the room, opened her backpack to pick up clean clothes, changed her clothes, took her belongings and left the hotel to go to the Seventh Heaven, which was obviously closed.


	5. Past : A train for the future

Red knocked on the double wooden door and waited. Nobody showed up. After five minutes, Red began to wonder if she hadn't been given a bad joke when the door suddenly opened on the fly. A mountain jostled Red, who almost fell to the ground. The giant turned to her, visibly angry:

“Goddamn it, look where you step! Are you blind ?! Buy some fucking glasses! ” He lost his temper before going away while continuing to grumble.

Red watched him, frowning:

“What vulgarity…”

"Oh, don't worry about it, it's nothing personal. It's always like that!" Said a cheerful voice on the doorstep.

A young brunette woman with a ponytail and a red band on her forehead waved to her.

"So you're the one looking for the counterfeiter, huh! Come in!"

Red hesitated for a moment, then decided to enter the deserted bar. It looked bigger now that there were no more customers.

“Sit down, I don't bite!” Said the young woman, pointing to a chair, before sitting down herself around one of the large wooden tables.

Red sat looking around, a little nervous.

"So that way you want a valid ID to go over the plate?" Asked the girl.

Red nodded in silence.

"To do what? Depending on what you need, the price varies. ”

The price ... Red hadn't thought of it, like a fool.

"That is to say?" She asked cautiously.

"Well, it all depends on whether you just want to hit the plate for a day or longer. It not demand the same job. Shinra controls are very strict. One mistake, and this is the arrest. Or worse. Who knows with them! ”

"You're the counterfeiter, huh." Merely said Red to gain time to think.

The young woman smiled and placed a finger on her temple.

“Bingo.”

"I need to go to the plate because I want to become a journalist. I come from far away for that, so I need your help. I never imagined that ... "

“That things were really like that in Midgar? Not surprising! I guess you came hopefully here before you were disappointed. But it can be fixed, thanks to that. ” Said the counterfeiter before rummaging through her pockets to get out a card, which she laid on the table.

"To get to the top of the plate, you need a valid pass. Trains are scanned to verify IDs. If you don't have one or it is done with your feet, you get arrested. Farewell to your plan to become a journalist, bam. ” Explained the counterfeiter seriously.

"But ... is that enough?"

“Only if you go to the plate for a round trip. For what you want, you need a false identity integrated into your ID. To give credibility to your extended stay in the city above. The Midgar that everyone dreams of. Well, question of point of view… ”

"This is what I will need but ... I imagine it is expensive." Sighed Red.

“5000 Gils, no more, no less.”

When the price of the pass was announced, Red squirmed in her chair. It was way too expensive. She only had 500 Gils left. Now her last hope was going up in smoke.

"I have not the money." She just murmured.

“So there is nothing I can do for you, sorry. My job is risky, I can't sell it off. ” Said the counterfeiter, sincerely sorry.

"But I have to go there! I have 500 Gils left, take them! ” Red exclaimed, putting her bag on the table to open it, take the envelope containing the rest of her savings, and put it on the table.

The counterfeiter raised her hands:

"It's not even half the amount, I can't do anything with it. Look, I'm sorry. Unfortunately, you are neither the first nor the last to whom I cannot do this service. Come back with 5000 Gils, and I will create a new life for you. ”

Red, disappointed, took her things and headed for the exit, before turning back:

"You know what? To extort people like that, you're no better than the Shinra! ”

She slammed the door, exasperated, then froze in the middle of the street when she realized that she was condemned to live in the slums. What would she do after her last Gils were spent? She had to find a way to make money quickly, if not …

“Hey, wait.”

Red turned her head towards the voice, which was none other than that of the counterfeiter, who motioned for her to return.

“Let's talk.”

Red sighed and turned around, to sit in the same place. The forger imitated her and then cleared her throat.

"Um, there is a way for me to give you your new identity. With your 500 Gils and a “little service” not legal. ”

“Not very legal…?” Red repeated, anticipating trouble.

"Yeah, it's nothing too bad, but if you are caught, you're in trouble."

"And ... what is this dangerous service?"

"You would have to stick as discreetly as possible posters all over the area."

"Posters…?"

Red found it difficult to understand how posters could be dangerous. Was she making fun of her?

"Not any posters! Something the Shinra doesn’t like to see hanging over its propaganda posters. But you will understand better. ” Said the counterfeiter before taking a roll from the counter, which she unrolled on the table.

Red's eyes widened as she read what was written. Only one word. And indeed, being caught with such posters could lead her straight into much worse trouble than running out of Gils.

"Avalanche? We hardly do more anti-Shinra than they do. We hear about this group until ... well everywhere. But, does that mean you're part of it? ” Asked Red.

The counterfeiter did not answer yes or no. She just gave vague answer.

“Let’s say it’s my job to display them. And since you still owe me 4,500 Gils ... I figured you could do it. If you manage to get rid of the lot that I will give you, I will give you the pass and your new identity. Up to you."

"I don't really have a choice ... this is that or to give up, so ... Plus, I don't like Shinra either." Confessed Red, clenching her fists under the table.

"So it's ok?"

Red thought for a moment, then nodded. After all, the Shinra had humiliated her country. She could take the risk of sticking up posters for the anti-Shinra group Avalanche. If she was discreet enough, she would have her ticket for the future.

"It's OK."

"Great! it's a deal then. ” The counterfeiter rejoices, holding out her hand to Red.

Red accepted the handshake.

"When do I begin?"

“Do it when you want. We will know soon enough that the work has been done to contact you."

"I will do it now. There should not be many people at this hour. How many posters? "

"Ten. To distribute wherever you want in the slums, as long as it is visible enough for being noticed. ”

Red nodded. The counterfeiter walked away for a moment to grab something behind the counter, which turned out to be the batch of anti-Shinra posters. Red took it. The sooner she would be done with this, the faster she would have her papers to get to the upper town.

"Well I'm leaving. Once it's done, will I come back here? ”

"Yeah, I'll wait here. For the details of the transaction, we will go to the basement. ” Said the counterfeiter before tilting his head slightly: "By the way, what's your name?"

Red hesitated before answering. But since she was about to put up anti-Shinra posters for someone who was surely also against the company, she told herself that her name would not arouse either distrust or disdain.

“Mei.”

“Me, it's Jessie! Well, see you later. Be careful. In the meantime, I keep the 500 Gils as a guarantee. ” She said before picking up the envelope containing the money.

Red left the bar with the posters rolled under her arm.

As she had more or less expected, it was not very difficult to put up the posters so early in the morning. Still, she had been very careful. To be caught would mean ruining her chances. When she returned to the Seventh Heaven, the bar was now open. It was still early so when she returned, she saw only a few people having coffee. She would have taken one, but she had given Jessie her last Gils for the false papers without thinking of keeping enough to last at least a day or two. Because once she got to the upper town, she wouldn't’ be out of the woods.

Jessie was waiting for her, leaning against the wall next to the jukebox, which did not play any music so early in the morning. Red nodded to her and joined her.

"The job is done."

"Ok, follow me." Said the counterfeiter before going to a place in the bar that seemed more remote than the rest.

"Don't move." Jessie warned her before checking with a glance that nobody was looking in her direction, before pressing a hidden button.

The next moment, the ground started to move, then the place where they were standing went down without a sound.

They then found themselves in the basement, in a square room fitted out in what seemed like a hideout. There was a table in the center, with wooden crates distributed around as seats. A TV hung in the corner of the room. Next to it, on a small makeshift desk, was a computer. There was a whiteboard hanging on the wall, as well as plans on the table. A banner of the Avalanche group hung on the opposite wall.

Jessie invited her to sit down.

“Well done for the posters. Let's talk business now. An agreement is an agreement. ”

Red sat down on a box while Jessie sat in front of her computer.

“Let's create your new identity. Do you have a name in mind? ” Asked the counterfeiter.

"A name..?" Red repeated, puzzled.

“Yes, who says new identity says new name. Don't rush, we have time, I have to take care of the program that will pass the train controls at the same time so ... "

Erase everything to start all over again. She hadn't thought about the impact it would have on her before she found herself facing this name change. To change her name was to forget about part of her past. Her roots. It was a price to pay to reach her goal, but was it worth it? Perhaps the best thing to do was to keep the memories.

Say goodbye to Mei, the girl of the Wutai, full of dreams as she tidied trinkets in her parents' back room. This girl who was going to place an offering to the protective god with her mother, or who, by obligation more than by passion, learned the saber with her father in the small garden behind the house, to the chagrin of her mother who was afraid for her pots of flowers, even if the weapons were wooden. His father always said that she have to know how to fight, if one day the Shinra decides to end the Wutai. Her mother was not enthusiastic about the idea, and thought the war was over for good. Her father, on the other hand, believed that one day the Shinra’s armed forces would return, destroy the temple of the protective god, and build their damn Mako reactor instead. He had good reason to believe it and be a little paranoid on the subject, since he was one of the few survivors of the Crescent Unit, decimated during the attack on Fort Tamblin. 

“Hey oh, are you listening to me? Did you find a name or not? ”

Red left her memories and thought about it. What name to choose…? The image of her hometown came to her mind, and what stood out most from that memory was a color.

"Ah, sorry ... it will be Red."

“Okay, go for Red then. Why do you want to go to the upper town? In order to create you a valid identity. ” Asked Jessie, while tapping on her keyboard.

“I came to Midgar to become a journalist. But, when I left my house, I never imagined that things would happen like that .. ”admitted Red with a sigh, a little distraught.

Jessie stopped tapping on her keyboard and crossed her arms:

"Don't worry, this is the case for many people ... unfortunately."

"Yes ... that's what a girl told me in the slums in sector 5 yesterday. And I imagine that "slums" should not be the priority of the Shinra. "

"I agree." Jessie said.

Red read the anger on her face. A question had been on her mind since their meeting. She said to herself that there was no risk in asking it.

“You are not on a mission for Avalanche, are you? You are one of them. ”

Jessie didn't answer and just turned to her computer, but Red had her answer.

“I'm not going to shout it from the rooftops. I don't like Shinra either. "

“Humph. Aside from who is in it, and whoever thinks that what they are doing is right ... everyone else has good reason to hate this damned company, especially here in the slums. Good ... journalist huh? Well, let's state you just got transferred from Junon's TV channel? So you already arrive journalist on the plate. No one will go further than your pass contains. People don't pay too much attention to it, but in your case it's pretty handy. ”

Red just nodded.

"Okay, well as soon as I finish this, you can take the first train to the upper town."

"How long?"

“Oh, ten to fifteen minutes, no more!

When the job was done, Jessie handed her pass to Red with a triumphant smile.

"And there you go! A real work of art!”

Red stared at the pass for a moment. It was not just a magnetic card, but her only chance of achieving her goal.

"Thank you so much. For agreeing to help me even if I didn't have the full amount. I will not forget." Red thanked her wholeheartedly.

Jessie waved her hand as if to refuse the thanks.

“Oh, I only did my job. The posters were important, it was worth 4,500 gil. Or it will be worth it in the long-term when Avalanche has recruited a bunch of new members! ”

Red just smiled, before putting her pass in her pocket carefully.

“The station is not far from the Seventh Heaven. Going out, if you raise your head, you will see the pillar that supports the plate. Go in its direction to a gate that blocks access, and you will see the train station. You can't miss it. There are enough of them so that you don't have to hang around too long. ”

“Thanks for the info, Jessie.”

“Okay, well, are we saying goodbye? Good luck to you, Red. ” Said Jessie holding out her hand to Red, who squeezed it.

After that, Jessie led her up to the bar and accompanied her to the entrance. Once outside, Red made a sign to her, before going to her next and last destination: the upper town.

  
  
  
  
  
  



	6. Past : The Planet Crisis

After arriving in the upper town, the wheel had turned favorably for Red, who, thanks to her false identity, found a job in a journalism agency. Unfortunately she was not a journalist, but an assistant to an experienced journalist by the name of Rosa Lewis. She was a woman of character in her forties, who knew how to smell good articles before anyone else. Red learned a lot from her, even if her main role was to write all the information gathered here and there, then to report to her supervisor so that she could have enough to prepare her articles. Lots of field research, which Red liked.

The pay was not too bad, but not high enough for Red to find accommodation in the upper town. So she took the train every day between the Sector 4 made of beautiful avenues and houses to the slums of sector 4, which looked like all the other slums of Midgar. She had a small studio in a street not too close to the main streets, always too noisy at all hours of the day and night. It was like having two lives. One where she worked, and another where she lived. It had confused her at first, but Red quickly got used to the strange Midgar lifestyle and its contrasts. If she worked hard, maybe she would finally manage to become a real journalist, and no longer have to live in slums outside of her work. In the meantime, she would live in this small studio where every day something threatened to malfunction or simply to give in. Although Midgar was called “Mako City”, power outages were common in the slums. Again, the best served were above the plate.

Aside from these annoyances, Red's daily life was not unpleasant. And that was thanks to Jessie, the counterfeiter from Sector 7. Red had gone back there a few times, but had never seen Jessie again. So she ended up not going there any more.

Everything went well for Red during the first eight months of her arrival in Midgar. However, a series of events would turn everything upside down in her life. Not only hers, but that of all those who had their feet on this Planet.

The first event which occurred was in Midgar itself. Then events came one after another. Reactor # 1 exploded, followed by Reactor # 5. The two explosions were attributed to Avalanche, the anti-Shinra group. Red had been there with her boss each time, and it was impressive to see all the debris lodged in the walls, roofs, and of course, the slums in both areas had also suffered from falling debris. Red knew this because she lived downstairs when she was not working, but she was never allowed to go and question the victims from under the plate. What was going on under the plate didn't interest the media. The damage was worse below than above, but there was talk only of terrorism against innocent citizens of the upper town. The Avalanche threat. Red had asked why she was not allowed to speak about the slums. Rosa had answered her bluntly that what did not interest the Shinra did not interest the media either, and that in any case the people above were much more worried about the actions of Avalanche than the fate of their unfortunate fellow citizens from below.

It had alerted Red, but over time she realized that the shadow of the Shinra went far beyond the tower that seemed to touch the still gray and heavy sky of Mako City. The people she worked for worked for Shinra themselves. Everything was always done in the interest of the company. Red didn't like it, but she couldn't go back, and most of all, she had no choice. She knew the price to pay for coming to Midgar from the start. But when it came to her face with this kind of conversation, she felt uncomfortable, and agreed with her parents about their reservations to let her go to such a corrupted city.

A city that did not have time to recover from the explosions of reactors, because it was the turn of the entire plate of Sector 7 to disappear, taking the upper and lower town in a certain death. So many people died that night. The crash caused by the fall of such a structure was felt throughout Midgar. Everyone initially believed in an earthquake that would have thrilled the city, but it was much worse than that. Again, Avalanche was accused.

Red had a hard time understanding and immediately thought of Jessie. Had Avalanche really made so many victims just to reach the Shinra by blowing up the Mako reactors? Were they just a bunch of murderous terrorists? However, Jessie didn't make her feel like a cold-blooded killer. But after all, she didn't know her. But why collapse the Sector where Avalanche apparently seemed to operate? Only Shinra would have had an interest ... Red had tried to learn more about the incident, but to no avail.

Without having time to breathe after this catastrophe, all of Midgar learned the news of the death of President Shinra. This was far from bad news for Red. She had a thought for her father, who must have been very happy to hear that the responsible for the Wutai war had died. But this event was far from reducing the Shinra to nothing, because the President had an heir. The company's vice president, Rufus Shinra, took the place of his father in a short press release, relayed by the press, announcing at the same time that a parade would be organized in Junon for his inauguration.

The agency where Red worked was one of many to travel to Junon for the event. Getting out of Midgar was not possible for the assistant she was. Journalists invited to cover the parade were carefully screened. Having no press pass to follow Rosa to Junon, Red stayed in Midgar to take care of relaying his boss’s news remotely. Even if going out of Midgar would have been nice, it was good for Red not to take part in this event, which had concealed the Sector 7 plaque disaster as if it had never existed.

Once the media wave over the nomination ended, everything went calm. The new President was traveling the world, and in Midgar, days had taken over as if nothing had happened. The only mention that Red read in the newspapers about Sector 7 was that it was too dangerous to want to rebuild it, and that a brief ceremony would be given for the victims. Midgar had engulfed the dead in oblivion. Only the President’s trips, future projects for the city, as well as current cinema, theater or opera trips were present in the newspapers.

The calm was short-lived, as a new threat, much more serious than Avalanche or the Shinra, appeared some time later. A threatening star appeared in the sky as the fatal sign of an end of the world. It was quickly nicknamed Meteor and was the main source of concern in the media, with the appearance of several other threats, called Weapons. Panic took hold of both the media and the public.

The first attack took place in Junon. Immediately after, Juno’s cannon, which proved effective against the first giant monster to manifest, was moved to Midgar to be connected directly to the Mako reactors.

Red was outside that day, in the panicked streets of the upper town after the first attack on the city. The cannon then fired, and it was as if the world had just stopped. There was like a second of strange silence, then the deafening sound of an explosion. The shock wave fired in the city spreading like a tsunami, smashing all the windows in its path, knocking over cars, signs and people who were there. Glass rain coming straight from the Shinra tower fell like thousands of knives. White balls of light then went straight towards it, and explosions sounded. In a panic, the journalist team with which Red had been dispatched to the field had dispersed. She found herself alone and disoriented, hidden under debris, hoping that it would not be covered in turn.

After all this chaos that had seemed to last for hours, a strange silence had crawled through the streets like a shadow on the prowl. Red crawled out of the debris as best as she could. The people who were fleeing the heavy silence the minute before had frozen and looked up. Red also looked up to see the Meteor in the sky. He seemed ... taller. He was getting closer. If it continued, this thing would crash right onto Midgar.

The observation made by all the spectators, the crowd resumed panicking and running to flee the city. Rightly so, because what looked like lightning began to fall on the city, striking lightning on the ground here and there, causing deafening explosions. The wind had picked up and tornadoes were forming everywhere. Red had run away too. But to go where? On each outing there were far too many people to pass. The giant plaque on which the upper city was built was vibrating, threatening to collapse from one moment to the next. No more trains could run, impossible to get to the slums to exit through one of the doors that led outside Midgar.

Red having no want to mingle with the disoriented crowd, she sat on the steps of a house, knees brought towards her like a shield, hugging the Leviathan jade pendant that she wore around her neck with all of her strength. The noise all around paralyzed her. When passersby who were running announced that an evacuation was underway, she could not find the strength to get up. What is the point of running away? The world went into a spin, and the Meteor kept getting closer. The fall would eventually happen, and no one would be able to get away from Midgar fast enough and far enough to avoid the destruction that would result.

When the Meteor was finally close enough to the planet, the earth began to tremble. The street where Red was split in two, creating a chasm that engulfed city dwellers trying to flee the city. Panicked, she tried to run away, guided by her instincts. But another rift opened, causing a house to collapse. Red did her best to avoid the rubble, but was hit on the head. The shock made her lose consciousness, and everything went black.

  
  


When Red opened her eyes, she was still lying on the floor on her side, unable to move, her vision blurred. She could feel his warm blood running down her face to drip on the floor. But what caught her attention was a soft green light, which seemed to flutter around like a serpent of light. Without knowing why, this strange green mist soothed Red, who then began to see better. What was that…? Red wanted to know. She rolled carefully to find herself on her back, facing the sky, which then seemed filled with green gleams similar to that which floated around her. All the lights seemed to be moving towards the same point. The Meteor. It was as if the planet itself had waged war against the Doom. These lights ... It was the Lifestream. The spectacle was dazzling and moving at the same time. It was as if all the old stories that were told to her when she was little came to life. These stories which told that the planet was a living being, and that it had its own conscience.

Meteor was on the verge of destroying the planet, so the Lifestream was risking it all. Red never thought she would see such a thing. She straightened up as best she could to sit down. Around her, there was only debris. A strange silence reigned in the devastated street. It was there that she thought she saw someone in the distance, at the end of the street. She narrowed her eyes to try to see more clearly. Red struggled to her feet and stumbled toward the figure before stopping a few steps further. She had already seen this person. She rummaged through her memories, first to no avail, then she remembered. The girl in pink she met when she arrived in the slums, lost. Red reached out to the young woman.

“Hey, don't stay there…”

Her voice echoed in silence, before dying in a weak echo. A blink later, the girl with the pink ribbon was gone. Red thought that she had turned around the corner, so she resumed her hesitant walk. Once at the end of the street, the girl in pink was nowhere to be found. All Red found was a rescue team that evacuated a small group of people. She approached.

“Follow us, don't stay here!” Said a rescuer, motioning to go into the avenue on the left, where there was a vehicle that could carry a small group of people.

“Have you seen a young woman dressed in pink? She went there ... you have to tell her to follow us. ” Said Red.

"I saw no one other than these ten people. Are you sure you saw well? You got a blow on the head, you're bleeding. ” He worried, frowning.

Red didn't answer, puzzled. She just looked back. The green lights were concentrating more and more towards the Meteor. The impact was imminent. A blinding flash of white light spread throughout the city. So blinding that Red lost consciousness again.

What Red never knew was that the girl in pink had been there, in a way. That she had guided her to help, before disappearing again into the Lifestream to fight the Meteor.

  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
